Cigarette package holder



Dec. 5, 1950 F. J. MALLET CIGARETTE PACKAGE HOLDER 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 Filed Dec. 22, 1945 INVENTOR. FRED J. MALLET BY I Y ATTORNEY Dec. 5, 1950 J, MALLET 1 2,532,927

CIGARETTE PACKAGE HOLDER '2 Sheets-Sheet 2 Filed Dec. 22, 1945 F10. if

INVENTOR.

Patented Dec. 5, 1950 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE CIGAEBETTEYPACKAGE H'QLDERa Fi'ed'J'. Mallet, New York, N. Y;

Application December 22, 1945, Serial-Na. 636.;689;

1. Glaim..

This; invention relates to. package holders...

It-is an object of the. invention toprovide a device which shall retai-n,,. in; association, a. pack:- age, such as. a package ef cigarettes, and. apacket of matches. Usually;. a, package of cigarettes, once opened andcarried inones' pocket, empties its contents into the pocket unless meansarepro-- videdto prevent such an undesirable-.- result, and toreta-in the cigarettes assembled with the package. untilthey are tobe consumed: Likewise. the smoker finds the. usual packet. of matches anywhere but: in the proper place when he needs a match. In manipulating: the package. the packet to light a cigarette, the smoker finds, he requires. free movement of both hands for all steps.

It isan object of the invention to. provide a.

device to facilitate the manipulation of cigarette package and match packet, as, for instance, by one. while driving an automobile.

Other objects of the invention will be, set, forth hereinafter, or will be apparent. from the description andthe drawings, in which are illustrated' embodiments of constructions for carryingout the invention.

The invention, however, is not intended" to be. restricted to any particular construction or con.- st'ructions, or' to any particular arrangement of. parts, or to any particular application of any such constructions. or any such arrangement. of parts,,or. to any. specific. method of operation, or to any of the various details thereof, even where specifically shown and described herein. as the same may be modified in various particulars, or

may be. applied in. many varied relations, without departing from the spirit and scope of the cIaimed. invention, practical constructions em.- bodying certain details. of the invention being illustratedand described, but only for the purpose of complying with the requirements" of the Statutes for. disclosure of operative embodimerits, and without attempting to disclose all' of; the various forms and modifications in whi'chthe. invention might be embodied.

On the drawings, in which the same reference characters refer to the same parts throughout, and in which. are disclosed such practical, constructi'ons:v

Fig. 1 is a perspective view of a device for retaining a cigarette package and, a packet of; matches in accordance with the invention;

Fig. 2 is a view, in. vertical cross-section, illustrating the arrangement of the device shown in.

l in. connection. with. an. ash tray, the. cigarette package being shown in. elevation and a.

2 piecerof advertising matter being shown in, cross section;

Fig- 3- is, a view in. horizontal cross-section oi the device shown in Fig. 1:;

Fig. i is a, detail: of a portion of the. device shown in. 55g. 1-, a match packet. being shown disposed upon a. wall, the wall and portions of the match packet being shown in. cross section;

Fig. 5 isa. plan view of a piece of metal, de.--- veloped and before bending, to illustrate the dish position of. the: various partsofthe device in the; blank;

6.is a iew: similar to. Fig. 3,. illustrating a construction of a. modified form. of package holder;

Fig. 7 is aviewsimilar to Fig. 4., illustrating. a, modified form of wall structure forthe devicci. illustrating the disposition of the match packet in that relation;

Fig... 8 is a side. elevational, view, of a.v modified form. of package-holding device, the package being shown, in elevation;

Fig. 9 is. a. view in side. elevation of a device embodying, features. of the invention. in, modified. form, the cigarette package being shown mailed; sideways partly out. of, association. with, the device;

Fig. 10 is a. viewin. end elevation ot a modified. form. of the. device embodying, certainof the fear tures of the invention; and

Fig.1lisaview in. vertical cross-section of, the. device shown in Fig. 10..

In 171g. 1,, is illustrated. holder in, which embodies features of the, invention. Holder It; may heformed from a. singl piece i2 of sheet metal; in. this. case, piece ll has. been bent to. form a substantially Li-shaped member, l4, consisting of a base, it' and two upstanding walls it and 23.. Base. :5 isof'such. width that walls. Eda-11d; 2.1 are. spaced from. each. other a distance sufficient, so. that a package 22 of. cigarettes may be slid betweenthe walls and then, be held by a snug, fit... The, sheet metal of iece l2 preferably is resilient thus, at least. to a limited. extentivalls i8 and, 2c, will press against the side walls 2 of package 22, and frictionally retain package 22 against.- movement relative to. holder i B.

W all [8 may have. an opening 26 formed therein in any suitable manner, to provide means for exposing advertising matter, as for instance, the. advertising matter which. may appear upon the outside face 3t of. package. 22. It desired. a. suitably dimensioned. card. 32 bearing. such matter may be. positioned, between package. 22, and; wall. L34. then the. advertising. matter upon such card will become apparent through opening 26. In order to retain such card 32, or other similar matter, edge portions 34 of wall l8 may be bent over and inwardly, to form a pair of guiding strips 36 defining receiving channels 38. Card 32 may be slid into channels 38 from top end 45. The pressure of walls l8 and 2B, and of package 22, will serve to retain card 32 properly located.

In an alternate construction, as shown in Fig. 6, pairs of tines 42 may be struck inwardly out of wall [8 towards package 22, and be so bent as to extend towards each other. These tines may then serve for the reception of card 32.

A section 44 may be pressed outwardly from wall 20, and, at two ends 45, it is severed from the metal of wall 20. Section 44 is pressed out of the plane of wall 2!! sufliciently to define a pa r of substantially aligned openings or slits 48. Slits 48 are just long and wide enough so that the thickness of a flap 50 of a match packet 52 may be inserted therethrough. In Fig. 4, flap 58 has been threaded through slits 48; back wall 54 of packet 52 has been pulled through the slits, and is in contact with inner face 55 of section 44. The usual staple 57, which ho ds the match packet portions together, is brought to an end position by abutting a ainst the lower edge of section 44. Matches 58 remain at the outside face 60 of section 44; flap 50 may then be turned down to cover matches 58. and be received in and held by upturned tab '52 of the packet. exposing striking material 64 in the usual manner.

As an alternate structure, tines 66 may be struck from wall 28, as shown in Fig. 6, to extend towards each other and to form receiving recesses for the passage of flap 50, and for retaining back wall 54.

As shown in Fig. '7, wa l 20 may be pressed to form a section 68 extending from end edge 70 of wall 2!] to a single slit 12. In such case, flap 50 would be inserted through slit l2, and then would be drawn so that it would turn over edge 10. In that case, back wall 54 would still be engaged against face 56, but flap 50 would be turned over edge l0, and then would be folded down into association with tab 62.

In a construction such as shown in Fig. 8, wall 20 has additional length which is bent into an apron 14, so that the apron extends substantia ly parallel to base it. Apron l4 and base [6 are spaced apart a distance substantially equal to the standard height of package 22. In such case, the entire package, with the exception of two end faces '16, is encased by the holder. After package 22 has been opened and inserted into holder I8, and is held between base It and apron l4, access to cigarettes in the package is ob tained by pushing against an end face 75. so that a portion 18 of package 22 which may have been torn open will be exposed beyond apron M. Then, after a cigarette has been removed, the package may be returned to housed relationship merely by pushing against the end face 16 which is then extending beyond the holder. In this fashion, the package is protected against loss of cigarettes.

In the structure shown in Figs. and 11, apron M has its free end edges 89 bent downwardlytowards base It, and then inwardly, to form a pair of flanges 82. These flanges then erve as means for retaining a moisture-retentive material 84. In the instance shown, plaster-of- Paris, before it hardened, had been smeared between flanges 82, and was left with a smooth surface 86. The extent of flanges 82 below apron ill) 14 determined the depth of material 84. When the plaster-of-Paris hardened, it provided a boundary surface to bear against an end of the cigarette package. Material 84 may be moistened from time to time, and thus, simultaneously, will provide means for retaining moisture in juxtaposition to the cigarettes through the opened end of the cigarette package. Openings 8'! may be formed in apron M to provide additional means for engagement of the plaster-of-Paris, to retain the solid against separation.

In using a device such as this, for example, a person, driving along, grasps the holder containing the cigarettes and matches in his hand. He can push the package beyond apron 14 with a single thumb, remove a cigarette, and then, with the rest of his fingers, push the package back into housed relationship. It is then a simple operation to open flap 55, tear off a match, and strike it upon material 64, without fussing around in his pockets to find the packet of matches, to open the packet, and to go through the various operations of striking the match. The matches and cigarettes are together at all times, and, furthermore, at least the ends of the cigarettes are at all times in a relatively humid atmosphere.

In the structure of Fig. l, a U-shaped member l4, without an apron, is illustrated. An end edge of wall l8 may be flanged over to provide a stop to prevent separation of card 32.

In the structure of Fig. 8, apron 14 has no moisture-retentive material, merely serving as an end cover for the opened cigarette package.

As shown in Fig. 2, base 15 may have a plurality of openings 94 Through these openings, suitable securing means may be projected; thus the entire holder may be secured to a pedestal as, for instance, an ash tray 96, so that the entire assembly may be positioned upon a table or like support.

Many other changes could be effected in the particular apparatus designed, and in the methods of operation set forth, and in the specific details thereof, without substantially departing from the invention defined in the claim, the spe cific description being merely of operating embodiments capable of illustrating certain principles of the invention.

What is claimed as new and useful is:

A retainer for a substantially rectangular package of predetermined dimensions one end of which is to be opened to provide access to the contents of the package, the retainer being formed from substantially resilient material, the retainer comprising a base providing a stand for the package, and a pair of walls extending upwardly from the edges of the base, the width of the base being sufficient to accommodate the width of the package so that the walls will engage snugly against a package positioned upon,

the base and between the walls, one of the walls having an apron at its end extending across the space between the walls and toward the end edge of the other wall, the apron having integrally formed downwardly directed projections, moisture-retentive material adhered to the inner face of the apron and retained by the projections to form a flat wall for the apron, the distance between the base and the flat wall being sufficient to hold the end faces of a package snugly and for the apron and the moisture-retentive material to provide a cover for the open end of the,v

package when the package is completely housed in the retainer, the base, the end portion, the

5 moisture-retentive material, and the walls being associated so that the package may be moved sidewise under pressure applied positively to the free side faces of the package to present the opened package end for access to its contents.

F. J. MALLET.

REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in the file of this patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date 35,431 Bailey June 3, 1862 951,728 Fearon Mar. 8, 1910 Gardner et a1. Feb. 18, 1913 Number 

